Tag Archives: Book recommendations

Horrormania ’79: Memoirs of a 10 Year Old Horror Fan is a Great Read

I’m always honored when a creator reaches out to me about a new project they are working on to ask my opinion or feedback. While I understand that I provide a media forum to promote their project, at the end of the day, I’m simply a fan like everyone else. That said, I am a big fan of the new book Horrormania ’79: Memoirs of a 10 Year Old Horror Fan by Kevin Doherty.

Self published in 2018, Kevin’s book perfectly captures a period of time at the tail end of the great pop culture Monster Boom, just as Star Wars was changing fandom and horror was stepping fully into the slasher/gore realm of the 1980s. The similarities to my own late ’70s monster kid childhood are striking and ten year old Kevin and his motley crew of friends are all kids I would have loved to have known back in my grade school days.

Kevin drew stories from his childhood journals to craft a well-written, engaging and heartfelt story of a boy teetering between childhood and the oncoming train of adolescence through the lense of a fully dedicated horror fanatic. Complete with Frank Langella’s Dracula, Star Wars, Dawn of the Dead, KISS, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fangoria, the Incredible Melting Man and more, Kevin perfectly captures this moment in time. His chapters read as short stories that all wrap together into a broader arc of personal growth, family, friendship and fandom. With chapter titles such as Horror of Nosferatu, The Amityville House of Horrors and The Horror of Dracula (and Evil Knievel) you know this a book you can relate to your own childhood. Here’s his opening paragraph of the Prologue of Horror:

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Doherty. I’m forty-eight years old. And I’m a horrorholic. I love everything and anything horror. Movies, books, magazines, music, toys and well..as I said, anything horror. I consider myself a bit of an aficionado on the subject and can comfortably say that I’m a walking, talking, living and breathing horror encyclopedia.

Sound like anyone you know, dear reader? I’m guessing it does and I highly recommend you read this charming walk down nostalgia lane. I’m sure glad I did!